Soap package



Patented June 20, 1939" UNITED STAT-ES cusses: soarracxaon Joseph H. Joi'ling, Cincinnati; Ohio, ssumito The McDonald Printing Company, Norwood,

Ohio, a eorporation'ol No Drawing.

Ohio

Application March 15, 1939', Serial No.

4 Claims. (011 87-23) This application is a continuation in part of my co-p'endlng application, Serial No. 165,316,

iiled September 23, 1987. a

This invention relates to a wrapper which may I be. used in connection with a number'oi products in which it is desired to retain the moisture and likewise constituents of the product, particularly the alkalies and acids. Disclosure herein isdirected particularly to a wrapper for soap W in the form of soapbars such as those in domestic use. V

For soap of this kind,*there has been developed in recent years a wrapper coated with ma- .terial 01' which the predominant constituent is "wax, wax-like or crystalline substances which have been considered desirable as being moisture-repellant and likewise thermoplastic so that the wrapper could be heat-sealed after applica-' tion to the soap bar.

I While coated soap wrappers of the general character indicated have provided an improvement over the older type of uncoated wrapper, yet an outstanding disadvantage has been noted in connection with the wax coated wrapper,

ll namely,.the cracking of the wax coating upon iolding oi the wrapper or after handling,stacking, packing, shipment or the'like. This rupturing of they wax coating permits the entry of air into the wrapper so that moisturein the soap 5 dries 'out at a comparatively rapid rate. the bar oi soap losing weight, becoming undesirably hard, and-to some extent, misshapen. This-result/is hastened by the crystalline character of such coatings which-more readily permit the penetration of soap, and moisture. The result of the moisture penetration into the wrapper is the wrinkling oi the wrapper due to evaporation of the moisture therein.-

Another disadvantage of the penetration of m moisture and soap into the wrapper is the fact that/the wrapper becomes, at times, so'tightly bound or molded to the soap, in-parts at least,

. that the lines, lettering, and irregular w of the soap are revealed upon the wrapper itself. It is obvious that such results are hastened when the soap barsare stacked over a period of time, in -v 1 the ordinary manner.

r A iurther disadvantage of the wax coated wrap per has been the mutilation or disflguringof the a printing or pictorial figures on the wrapper due to the'alkali in the soap attacking the ink used-imprinting. The result has i'requently' awell calenderedpaper or base to which. the

coating-is applied so that the coating not be a noted that the lettering 0'1- flgu on t Wi li 8 to "run" aiter'a periodiog u rendering the wrapper unattractive from this standpoint likewise.

The present invention is directed to the elimination and reduction of the disadvantages such as those discussed in connection with the wax 6 coated wrapper. The invention provides for a soap package comprising a bar of soap having a wrapper heat-sealed thereon, the wrapper being coated on one side with a thermoplastic noncrystalline coating adapted to resist moisture, a1.-. 10

L kali, acid and soap. The other side of the wrapper is provided with a thermoplastic coating suitable character. 1

In accordance with the present invention the non-crystalline coating, first referredto above, is

of the; general class of synthetic resins, and 0! this class the vinyl resins have been found particularly eflfective. The vinyl resins, as is well known, result from the'polymerization of vinyl compounds, and possess the characteristic of thermoplasticity.- The vinyl resins embrace vinyl bromide, vinyl chloride, vinyl alcohol, styrene (vinylbenzene); Commercial forms of synthetic resins have been found suitable for the purpose of this invention.

The vinyl resin has incorporated therewith, in accordance with the'invention, a suitable plasticizer and, for the effective ap lication of the coating, a volatile carrier is utilized. These materials possess the primary requisite 01' being noncrystailine and plastic so'that' the coating will not crack on ruptureand thereby permit the access of air to the enclosed. soap and penetration of soap into. the wrapper. In this connection it may be pointed out that the ordinary coating heretofore used on wrapping materials for such commodities as food products,'have usu lly comprised nitro-cellulose, a resin, a 'plasticizer, a solvent, and a diluent. The general classification oi lacquersembrace coatings of this character 40 and inasmuch. as they are not alkali nor soap reslstant, they would entail the disadvantages, for use upon soap wrappers, ,as already discussed above, The present invention is therefore an improvement over'lacquer-coatings of this class, Another generally used type of coating whichwould be-undes'irable for achieving the purposes I contemplated herein, is that class embracing hygroscopic. materials whichcouldT-not-he successfully used as .coatingsiorsoap wrappers because the result would be-the absorption by the coatingsciimoistureirbmthesoap. l

The present invention contemplates the use of absorbed into' the paper. The vinyl resin form-' ing the primary constituent of the coating is preferably mixed with -a small percentage of plasticizer, for example, dibutyl phthalate which gives added flexibility. These materials are dissolved in a suitable carrier, preferably aketone. Of the latter, methyl isobutyl ketone, known as hexone, hasbeen found particularly satisfactory. The resultant liquid is applied to one of! the surfaces of the wrapper and when dried, produces a smooth'fiexible and rubber-like surface unaffected by subsequent folding, stacking, shipping and similar operations.

The other surface of the wrapper is preferably provided with one of the known types of'thermoplastic coatings such as a paraflin wax coating, so that the wrapper may be. heat-sealed uponthe soap bar. This'is adapted to protect the cake of soap against drying out by the atmosphere. Inasmuch as both this coating and likewise the coating on the opposite surface of the wrapper.

are thermoplastic the wrapper can be completely heat-sealed upon a cake of soap, in those parts of the wrapper wherein one portion of a coating is placed against another portion of the same vention and the older type of wrapper, provided a with a wax coating on both surfaces, have given interesting results. Soap bars, some enclosed in the ordinary type of waxed wrapper and some in the wrapper of this invention, were together further enclosed in six thicknesses of waxed paper and subjected to an initial sweat test... The

: package.was placed in an oven and maintained at a temperature of 120 F., for two weeks.

. Thereafter the bars were removed, the six thicknesses of waxed paper taken off, and the bars placed in separated position in room temperature. After the third week, the difference in moisture loss, as determined by weight of the wrapped'soap bars, began to become apparent. The bars enclosed in the wrapper of the present invention (which I shall hereafter designate the A specimens) had lost in weight a fraction over I 1%, while, at the same time, the bars enclosed in the older type of waxed wrappers (which I shall' designate the 13' specimens) had lost a fraction over. 4%. By the end of the fourth week, the A specimens had lost a fraction less than 2% in weight, while the B specimens had lost approximately ti The: weekly resulted in substantially the same comparative ratios of moisturefloss percentage over the. fifteen-week test'period. A graph prepared in percentage loss in weight of the A specimens had reached 10%, while that of the B specimens had reached nearly 17%. Atabulation of results at the end of the fifteen-week period shows a 56.7% reduction in moisture loss through the use of the wrapper of this invention as compared with the specimen B wrappers.

The foregoing facts. are concerned only with the weight loss of the soap bars. The change in appearance of the B specimen wrappers was equally noteworthy. These wrappers became wrinkled, molded to the soap bars, and otherwise unattractive in appearance due to running of the ink of the printed wrappers. The .B specimen bars presented, in short, a distinctly unsaleable appearance.

The A specimen wrappers, on the other hand, remained substantially unchanged throughout, the wrapper being smooth, non-adherent, unsmudged by released ink constituents and fresh in appearance at the end of the test.' The coat- "in accordance with the present invention, in

addition to its characteristics of moisture and vapor proofness and its resistance to alkalies and acids, is likewise odorless and tasteless and is therefore obviously adapted for use upon 0th commodities such as food products.

-What is claimed is:

l. A package comprising a bar of soap sealed in a sheet of wrapping material provided on one side with a heat-seal coating and on the other side with a moisture-, acid-, and alkali-resistant coating of vinyl resin adapted to counteract the emission of characteristic constituents of the soap for reducing wastage and deterioration.

thereof. 1 2. A package comprising a bar of domestic soap sealed in a sheet of wrapping paper having printing thereon, the paper on one side being provided with a coating of heat-sealing material and on the other side with a moisture-, acid, and alkali-resistant coating ofvinyl resin adapted to counteract the emission of characteristic coning on the wrapper to preclude running of the printed matter.

3. A package comprising a bar of soap sealed in a sheet of callendered paper provided on one side with a heat-seal coating and on the other side with a moisture-, acid-, and alkali-resistant coatingv of vinyl resinadapted to counteract the emission of characteristic constituents ,of the soap for reducing wastage and deterioration thereof, said calendered paper resisting absorption of the coatings thereinto to preserve the coatingsintact for performing their respective functions.

in a sheet of wrapping material provided on one side with a heat-seal coating and on the other side with a moisture-, and alkali-resistant coating of vinyl resin adapted to counteract the emission of characteristic constituents of the soap for re-' ducing wastage and deterioration thereof.

JOSEPH H. J ORLING.

" 4. A package comprising a bar of soap sealed 

